Immobilization of selenocystamine on TiO2 surfaces for in situ catalytic generation of nitric oxide and potential application in intravascular stents

Immobilization of selenocystamine on TiO2 film deposited on silicon wafer and 316 stainless steel stents for catalytic generation of nitric oxide was described. Polydopamine was used as the linker for immobilization of selenocystamine to the TiO2 surface. In vitro stability of the immobilized selenocystamine was investigated and the result shows surface selenium loss occurs mostly in the first four weeks. The selenocystamine immobilized surface possesses glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and the activity increases with the amount of grafted polydopamine. Such selenocystamine immobilized surfaces show the ability of catalytically decomposing endogenous S-nitrosothiols (RSNO), generating NO; thus the surface displays the ability to inhibit collagen-induced platelet acitivation and aggregation. Additionally, smooth muscle cells are inhibited from adhering to the selenocystamine immobilized sample when RSNO is added to the culture media. ELISA analysis reveals that cGMP in both platelets and smooth muscle cells significantly increases with NO release on selenocystamine immobilized samples. Two months in vivo results show that selenocystamine immobilized stents are endothelialized, and show significant anti-proliferation properties, indicating that this is a favorable method for potential application in vascular stents.